Paper bag
by HookerDuck
Summary: Ino is falling for Shikamaru, she hasn't been with anyone ever. I mean ever. Shikamaru has a lust for Ino too, I mean, don't you believe in soulmates? But will other other ninjas and konoichi get in the way of this destined love?


A paper bag tumbled through the night, bumping off street lights and decaying alley walls. It had fallen out of a Konoha dustbin and was slowly rolling through streets and down roads. It seemed like this lonely piece of crumpled brown paper was trying to get somewhere, trying to achieve something. It blew around in the wind and was gently floating upwards, up, into the heavens and past an open window in which Ino Yamanaka was sat at, reading. She'd just come home from training with Chouji and Shikamaru. She smiled at a printed joke, the words of the author flowing through her head as she flicked from page to page. Her mind wandered slightly as she reached one of those boring parts in a book where nothing happens and she looked out the window. Her deep blue eyes gazed upon the light blue sky, and the twirling wisps of cloud that wound their way around beams of sun. The weather was nice, cool but warming. Eyelids closed for a second and a black-haired boy slipped into view.

"Wake up, Ino." He said, peering into her mind. A slender finger reached out towards her consciousness and poked it. Something pinged and Ino's fingers let the book slip and crash to the floor, waking her from her daydream. Damn it! She had dreamed about him again. This was the third time in the last few days, it was all Shikamaru this, Shikamaru that for the blonde girl. She laughed to herself and kicked her feet up onto a footstool that hovered close to her where she sat on the cushioned window-seat. Yawning, she stretched over for her new DELL laptop and she flicked it open. Pushing the on / off button and holding it she exhaled through her nose, she was tired, from training and should really take a sleep.

Ino blinked and her computer was warm on her lap, buzzing contently as it had finished its loading. She must have fallen asleep; it normally took ten minutes to get to this state. Her finger brushed the built in mouse pad and she clicked the email icon. One new message, read the screen. She hurriedly opened it and scanned it, looking for the S-word. Nope, it was and S-word, but the wrong one…

_Hey, Ino._

_I just wanted to know if you were coming to mine tomorrow. I think we arranged something vague last week… Anyway, I'll see you after training I guess and we can arrange it then ___

_Sakura._

Damn, she'd forgotten about the sleepover. She liked Sakura as a friend, they were best friends but… she had really wanted to go to the high street with the boys, because Shikamaru was going. Oh well, maybe she could convince Sakura to go with her, and they might 'bump' into the boys. She laughed to herself, earlier memories of her and Sakura rushing through her head, they used to hate each other with a passion. Damn Sasuke, what had she been thinking? Sasuke, hot? It wasn't even worth thinking about. She tapped the reply button and wrote something along the lines of, yes, she would love to come – she just needed to ask mum.

"So, how was training?" Naruto asked Shikamaru, aimlessly.

"Eh." He shrugged, answering stupid questions wasn't his cup of tea. Especially when they were Naruto questions, like that. They two boys were walking home, along the dusty track leading from the grounds back to the main village of Konoha. The blond boy laughed and punched Shikamaru on the back.

"A drag?" he giggled "Like everything else?" the two boys laughed together, Shikamaru didn't mind laughing at himself, it helped him take life less seriously.

"Seriously?" he said in a stern tone "We did some more target practise, you know the drill."

"Yep. Pretty much the same here." Naruto said, picking a long, thin leaf from a branch above his head and rolling it between his fingers. Shikamaru took a pack of cigarettes from his trouser pocket and drew one for himself, he didn't bother offering Naruto one, he knew he didn't smoke. He only smoked himself in memory of Asuma. He lit up with a silver lighter that Kurenai had given him at his eighteenth birthday party and placed the thin tube in his mouth. Closing his eyes, Shikamaru puffed and lowered the cigarette, letting it hang by his left thigh.

The two young men walked side by side, talking about the first things that came into their head until they neared Naruto's apartment block.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." The blond boy said, turning towards the stairs. Shikamaru smiled at him and watched him jog up towards his house. He set off to the sound of a loud bang and a nervously shouted "Sorry, Mrs. Yumiko!" which obviously had left the lips of Naruto Uzumaki, who was still the number one, hyperactive knucklehead ninja. He smiled to himself, continuing along the crowded streets. He took one last puff of the cigarette, stubbed it on a concrete wall and dropped it into a bin. He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He thought back on the training session with Chouji and Ino, hey, he remembered the blonde girls beautiful smile and wonderful hips. He shook his head and carried on towards home, head bowed low and back arched.

The key fit snugly into the gates of the Nara family ranch and Shikamaru shouldered through, locking them behind himself. He walked up the drive and let himself into the front door, he kicked his sandals off and walked up the stairs to his bedroom passing his mother on the way up.

"Hey hunny." she said, picking a basket of washing up and placing it on her hips. "How was training today?" she asked him. Shikamaru shrugged and issued his normal grunt and continued into his room, leaving his mother shaking her head and smiling to herself. His room was a relaxing colour, mint green with grey furniture and trimmings. Dropping onto his bed, Shikamaru sighed deeply and closed his eyes, Ino drifting into his mind. He punched the pillow and stood up, reaching for his mini fridge, he opened the photo-laden door and pulled out a water bottle. Sipping gently, he snuggled down into a chair and slipped his forest-green jacket off.

Ino stood there, on the cliff, facing out into the calm sea. A breeze cooled her face and blew her hair about. She enjoyed the wind, it made her feel happy and like nothing could go wrong. She embraced the lovely weather, smiling to herself. She hummed a melody as she took out the ribbon the kept her long blonde hair in a pony tail. Her arms stretched out and her fingers wiggled in the sunlight. The wind stopped for a moment and Ino turned to see Shikamaru standing next to her, looking out upon the sea. His deep hazel eyes filled with longing, and lust. She gasped and he turned, they stared at each other. Nothing broke the silence and the sun beat down on their faces. Shikamaru leaned forward, Ino copied his actions and their lips brushed. Then the dark-haired boy reached out an arm and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. He extended her thin arm and grabbed the back of his head. She didn't want this to end, how it had just happened like this, who knows? But she did not want to break this fragile moment, so she carried on kissing Shikamaru. They swayed together on the cliff-top, held together tightly by love.

Crash! Ino jerked upright and found herself sprawled across the floor, her laptop was under her legs and she hoped it wasn't broken. So, it had been a dream? It certainly had seemed real. She looked up and saw her open window, which explained the wind… She sighed, angrily and got to her feet. She picked up her laptop and set it on her bedside table, it was still working fine. She glanced at the pink clock which hung above her neatly dressed bed, 6.30. Time to get some food. Ino wandered down the stairs, clinging to the banister, afraid of falling. After all, she was still three quarters asleep. In the kitchen she opened the fridge and looked around, great, it was virtually empty apart from a carton of orange juice and some apples. She slammed the door and was on the verge of screaming. Leaning against a counter she found herself thinking about Shikamaru, again! What was it about him? He had a nice face, she thought. Nice, silky hair. A tanned and toned body, with slender limbs… Okay, he was perfect. She smacked herself on the forehead and walked out into the corridor and grabbed her scarf.

"Mum, I'm going out!" she shouted up the stairs. He mother was probably up in her studio painting some random, boring flower.

"Okay dear!" came her mothers reply. Ino tutted and walked through the door which led into the flower shop. She stepped past all the pretty plants, her shoes clacking on the wooden floorboards. She flung open the glass door and locked it behind herself, turning into the street. A few people were trudging along, or sitting at a bench reading. Nothing happened in Konoha anymore, nothing. She hoisted her back up onto a shoulder and trotted down the road in search of somewhere to eat.

"Mum, dad, I'm going to find somewhere to eat!" shouted Shikamaru as he left the front door. He didn't bother waiting for an answer. He was eighteen and could look after himself. He left the ranch and walked down the windy road into Konoha, taking in the wild scenery, dotted with beautiful flowers and animals. His stomach rumbled as he approached the town. He once again found himself pushing past the bustling people, he was strong and pushed a little too hard once or twice, and apologised. He really didn't want to eat around here, all the bars were packed full and the people were already starting to get very drunk. Heading for the quieter part of Konoha he passed all the usual shops selling beads and remedies for sicknesses. He also saw book shops, the ninja knife craft shop and Ino's family shop. He smiled as he thought of the blonde girl with her apron on, watering the sunflowers and forget-me-nots. He soon reached a bar with very little people in and a lovely smell coming from inside.

He pushed the curtains open and ducked inside, a bar was situated on the other side of the room a few tables with chairs were dotted around elsewhere. He wandered over to a stool at the bar and tapped on the surface, looking at the menu. He ordered miso when a barmaid asked him what he'd like, it was simple and safe. He looked behind his back at the few people who were sat eating. Something tickled him arm and he looked around to see a blonde pony tail dangling across his forearm. He smiled.

"Hey, Ino." He said, she choked and turned round, herbal tea dribbled from the corner of her mouth.

"Mmmf!" she exclaimed, through a gulp of liquid, she swallowed and wiped her mouth. "Hi." She said, smiling at him. "How are you?"

"Oh, great thanks." He replied, resting his elbow on the counter. "Yourself?"

Ino smiled and nodded, playing with her small cup of hot tea. "Yeah, good." She said through the corner of her mouth. Shikamaru nodded and sniffed, staring at her smooth features. She turned and looked at him, he was staring, yes! But to act normal in front of him she coughed and looked away.

"Oh, um." Shikamaru was startled after he'd shaken himself out of the trance. He straightened out his crumbled black shirt and blushed. There was an awkward silence and they were both glad when the maid came bustling past and set down Shikamaru's bowl, bumbling about how sorry she was that it was late. He broke a set of chopsticks and began to eat ravenously. The noodles tasted good. The sauce was just right and the warmth greeted his lips nicely. He ate while Ino looked at him in silence, giggling at his hunger. A noodle escaped from between Shikamaru's chopsticks and flicked up, into his eye. Ino laughed out loud and he dropped the wooden cutlery and searched for a napkin. His team mate put a hand on his shoulder and reached out her other hand. "Here." She said "Keep still." She thumbed away the sauce from his eye and stroked his cheek. "You shouldn't eat so fast!" she giggled. Shikamaru mumbled something and began to eat, more slowly this time. They talked about what they'd done during the afternoon until Shikamaru had finished his food and pushed the bowl away.

"Shall I walk you home?" he said, after licking his lips and fingers.

"Sure." Said Ino, smiling. He set down a note in payment for the food and helped the girl from her stool, standing to one side to let her pass out of the restaurant. She laughed and held out her arm for Shikamaru, who shrugged and took it in his hand.

"No, silly!" Ino giggled "Like this." She said and linked arms with him, pulling him closer to her.

"Isn't this a girly trend?" he asked her, embarrassed. She laughed again, showing her white teeth and shook her head. They started to walk down the road to Ino's house.

"So, are you coming out with us tomorrow night?" Shikamaru asked her after a few moments silence.

"No, I'm sleeping over at Sakura's house." She said "Sorry." Biting her lip she waited for Shikamaru to get annoyed at her. But he glanced at her and nodded.

"Fair enough. Some other time then?" he said, shrugging.

"Certainly." She said, smiling again. She kicked the dirt with her foot and watched the dust billow out in front of them. Shikamaru sniffed again and rolled his head backwards, looking up at the darkening sky. "It's pretty, isn't it?" Ino whispered in his ear.

"Huh?" he said, automatically looking at her chest. "Oh, the sky?" she nodded and he looked back up "Yeah." He said, sighing.

"I wish I had wings." She said, sounding like a small girl. Shikamaru laughed and breathed out. He began to hum an old song and Ino listened to him, admiring his voice. He stopped when he noticed she was staring at him.

"Oh." She said, disappointed. "That was nice. But this is my house now." She said, letting go of his arm and stepping out in front of him. "Thanks for walking with me." She giggled, and he shrugged.

"It was nothing." Shikamaru murmured. Ino shushed him and leant over to kiss him on the cheek, she stood there for a second and then skipped back inside her house. The black-haired boy blushed and felt hot under his clothes. He turned on his heel and set off back home.


End file.
